subpoena

See also: subpœna

English

Alternative forms

• subpena
• subpœna

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

First attested with this spelling in 1623 C.E., from earlier subpena, from Middle English sub pena, from Medieval Latin: sub (“under”) and poena (“penalty”), the beginning of the original subpoena used in the Court of Chancery.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /səˈpiːnə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːnə

Noun

subpoena (plural subpoenas or subpoenae or subpoenæ)

1. (law, historical) A writ requiring a defendant to appear in court to answer a plaintiff's claim.
   • 1874, W.S. Gilbert, Trial by Jury

     Summoned by a stern subpoena Edwin sued by Angelina Shortly will appear.

2. (law) A writ requiring someone to appear in court to give testimony.

Usage notes

The most common plural form is subpoenas. Subpoenae is a hypercorrection as the word is not derived from a Latin noun *subpœna, *subpœnæ, but from the Latin phrase sub pœna, and therefore has no Latin plural.

Synonyms

• witness summons (British)

Derived terms

• subpoena duces tecum
• subpoena ad testificandum
• subpoena ad respondendum

Translations

writ requiring someone to appear in court to give testimony

• Azerbaijani: çağırış (az)
• Belarusian: паве́стка f (pavjéstka)
• Bulgarian: призо́вка f (prizóvka), по́зва f (pózva)
• Catalan: citació (ca) f, citació a dia cert f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 傳票／传票 (zh) (chuánpiào), 传票 (zh) (chuánpiào), 傳訊／传讯 (zh) (chuánxùn), 传讯 (zh) (chuánxùn)

• Danish: stævning f
• Dutch: dagvaarding (nl) f
• Estonian: kohtukutse
• Faroese: stevning f
• Finnish: todistajan haaste, haaste (fi)
• French: citation (fr) f
• German: Zwangsvorladung f, Vorladung f, Auskunftsanordnung f
• Greek: κλήση (el) f (klísi), κλήτευση (el) f (klítefsi)
• Hungarian: idézés (hu), beidézés
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingua: citation
• Italian: convocazione (it) f, citazione (it) f
• Japanese: 召喚状 (ja) (しょうかんじょう, shōkanjō), 召喚 (ja) (しょうかん, shōkan)
• Korean: 소환장 (sohwanjang), 소환 (ko) (sohwan)
• Polish: wezwanie do sądu n
• Portuguese: intimação (pt) f, citação (pt) f
• Romanian: citație (ro) f
• Russian: пове́стка (ru) f (povéstka), вы́зов в суд m (výzov v sud)
• Slovak: predvolanie na súdne pojednávanie, súdne predvolanie (svedka)
• Spanish: citación (es) f, requerimiento (es) m
• Turkish: celpname (tr), mahkeme çağrısı, celp kâğıdı (tr)
• Ukrainian: пові́стка f (povístka)

Verb

subpoena (third-person singular simple present subpoenas, present participle subpoenaing, simple past and past participle subpoenaed)

1. (transitive) To summon with a subpoena.
   • 1924, Herman Melville, Billy Budd, London: Constable & Co., Chapter 10, [1]

     Why not subpoena as well the clerical proficients?

Translations

to summon with a subpoena

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 傳訊／传讯 (zh) (chuánxùn), 传讯 (zh) (chuánxùn)

• Dutch: dagvaarden (nl)
• Finnish: haastaa todistajaksi, haastaa (fi)
• German: zwangsvorladen
• Greek: κλητεύω μάρτυρα (klitévo mártyra), καλώ μάρτυρα (kaló mártyra)
• Hungarian: idéz (hu), beidéz (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: citare (it)
• Latin: convador
• Portuguese: citar (pt)
• Romanian: cita (ro)
• Russian: вы́звать в суд пове́сткой pf (výzvatʹ v sud povéstkoj)
• Slovak: predvolať (niekoho) na súd
• Spanish: citar (es), citar a declarar

See also

• compel testimony
• contempt of court

Anagrams

• base upon

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French

Alternative forms

• subpœna

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] English subpoena.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /syb.pe.na/

Noun

subpoena m (plural subpoenas)

1. (Canadian and US law) subpoena